


november

by transkylo (captainandor)



Series: when you know, you know [1]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Family, M/M, Slice of Life, dad robert, this is a lot soppier than the kind of thing I usually go for, weird gay brother dads in action
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-29 05:28:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8477119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainandor/pseuds/transkylo
Summary: “Aw, do I detect some parental concern?” Aaron jabs at him with an elbow.“My concern,” Robert says, squinting into the gloom of the marshmallow bag, “Is that she’s eaten all of the pink ones, and they’re my favourite.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [artemris](https://archiveofourown.org/users/artemris/gifts).



> And thus begins my descent into the pit of shame. 
> 
> Shoutout to Erin for starting (and fuelling) my love of Emmerdale. I really didn't think I'd be saying that a week ago.

The air outside is heavy and thick with the smell of sulphur and ash. It’s dark already, the sun having completed its journey across the sky for one day, settling low somewhere over the distant horizon. Despite the early sunset that the autumnal months bring, the atmosphere is bright and alive. All through the village, the telltale signs of bonfire night can be found. Sparklers, Catherine wheels, piles of gathered sticks and raked up leaves. The occasional parent on their way to a family gathering, selection of fireworks clutched underarm. 

Tonight, Robert feels like that designated parent. 

Liv has been badgering him nearly all week about having fireworks of their own, and after days of resistance and the occasional look from Aaron, he’d finally relented. They’d gone into town together one day after school and Robert had mostly stood back while she picked out the fireworks she wanted. All of them bright, colourful, and loud. 

“Can we have a bonfire too?” she’d asked in the car, “With marshmallows? And hot chocolate?” 

“Don’t push it,” Robert had replied, shooting her a sidelong look. 

“Only, we never did bonfire night, with my mum.” Liv had continued, and Robert drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, feeling any resistance ebb away with the tone of her voice. She was milking it, he was well aware, but there was some honesty there, too. And he couldn’t pretend he didn’t know what it was like to be denied something you really wanted. 

He’d let out a put-upon sigh as they turned into the village, rows of familiar houses blurring by. 

“Go on, then,” he relented, as Liv punched the air in triumph, “You won’t catch me raking up sticks and leaves for it, though. You’ll need to ask your brother to do that one,” 

Surprisingly, Aaron had agreed. Robert and Chas had stood back to have a cup of tea and let the two siblings work on, and by the time the late afternoon was rolling round, they’d built something of an impressive bonfire. 

“It’s gonna look amazing when it gets dark, love,” Chas says, holding her arm out to usher Aaron into a quick hug. She extends the other one for Liv, squeezing her close before releasing the both of them, “Right, who’s on burger duty with me?” 

“Marlon!” Liv and Aaron blurt simultaneously, just as the chef himself wanders out of the back door, zipping up his coat against the chill. 

Chas grins at him even as he narrows his eyes. “What am I getting roped into now?” 

“Burger duty,” she says, “Sorry, back into that kitchen for ya,” 

He grumbles, but spins on his heel and makes his way back inside regardless, followed closely by Chas, and then a moment later, Liv. The door swings shut. 

“You alright?” Aaron asks, turning to his fiancé. He closes the gap between them with just a few steps, hands coming up to clasp behind Robert’s neck, fingers brushing his hairline over the top of his scarf. “Liv managed to nag you into doing fireworks then, I see,” 

Robert huffs out a laugh, “Yeah. She went on at me a bit,” he lies. 

Aaron sees right through it, “You’re getting soft, Sugden,”

“Me? Nah,” Robert bumps their noses together, “Look who’s talking,” 

As if to prove some sort of point, Aaron delivers a none-too-gentle fist to Robert’s stomach, though he softens the gesture with a quick kiss all the same. The air feels colder in his place when he moves away. 

“I’ve got a couple of jobs to see to up at the yard this afternoon, but I’ll see you later, yeah?” 

“’Course,”

*** 

The entire Dingle family show up at dusk, which makes Robert think that Liv had the whole thing planned out to perfection before she even asked him. No doubt it would’ve gone ahead one way or another, if he and Aaron had said no. Marlon had whipped up dozens of burgers, servings of chips, and there was enough booze that Robert had to wonder if there would even be any left in stock in the basement for tomorrow.

It’s not long before the bonfire roars to life, a huge, impressive thing, taller than nearly everyone there. Aaron and Robert stand close, huddled around it for warmth with the others, but just far enough that they’ve got some privacy.

Robert’s never been big on family gatherings, they’ve always seemed forced and fake in his experience, but this feels different. He looks around, at smiling faces and hands clutching sparklers and wooden skewers topped with singed marshmallows, and feels warm. This is Aaron’s family. _His_ family – because he’s finally found somewhere that he belongs. 

Almost as if hearing this thought, Aaron bumps his fingers against the back of Robert’s hand, then threads them together. His palms are rough, familiar, and warm. 

“Marshmallow, anyone?” Chas asks, sticking her hand between the two of them and shaking the bag. 

“No we’re alright –” Robert starts.

He’s interrupted by Aaron snagging the bag and a set of cocktail skewers, “C’mon, Robert,” he says, “You can’t have a bonfire and not do marshmallows.” 

“That’s what I like to hear,” Chas says, giving both of them a pat on the shoulder as she leaves. 

An hour later finds the whole extended family gathered around the bonfire. It looks even more impressive lit than it did in the sun, just a pile of sticks and dried up leaves. Vic and Adam are sorting out the mini firework display, looking through the selection that Liv had picked out that afternoon. Most of them are relatively quiet, Liv hadn’t wanted to scare any unsuspecting animals, and sparklers were her favourite, anyway. 

“They’re the coolest,” she told Robert, while they were standing in the fireworks aisle of the supermarket, “You’re holding burning magnesium in your hand. It’s like a Chemistry lesson, but more fun,”

He hadn’t bothered to tell her that Chemistry was supposed to be fun in school, too – but Aaron had already gone over that argument, and Robert wasn’t about to labour the point. 

“These marshmallows are _so_ good,” Liv says, diving back into the bag and unceremoniously rooting around until she’s found a handful of them, which she spears with a wooden stick and thrusts over the nearest flame. They’re on the third bag now, and Robert’s certain that Liv’s eaten most – if not all – of them. 

“Yeah, well, don’t eat them all,” he says, snatching the bag back, “Otherwise all your teeth’ll fall out. And there won’t be any left for me.” 

“Aw, do I detect some parental concern?” Aaron jabs at him with an elbow.

“My concern,” Robert says, squinting into the gloom of the marshmallow bag, “Is that she’s eaten all of the pink ones, and they’re my favourite.”

Liv grins from where she’s turning the marshmallows around on their stick, trying to get them evenly toasted. Robert thinks he spots the last pink one on the end, though it’s hard to tell, because she practically singes them. “Shoulda been quicker then,” she quips, “Instead of making moon eyes at my brother,” 

“I was _not_ ,”

“Were too,” 

He grumbles at her even as he spears his own marshmallows and hands Aaron the bag, holding them over one of the flames closest. He still can’t get his head around how much things have changed in two years. In the past year, even. This time last year he was alone in a hospital bed, Aaron painfully far away. 

“D’you ever think how much things have changed,” Robert says, staring at the fire. He feels Aaron and Liv turn their heads towards him, but he keeps his gaze fixed on the spot. 

Aaron swallows, “Since last year?” he pauses, “Yeah. I was – waiting for my hearing. I hated you,” he cracks a half smile, looking almost embarrassed about it. Robert bumps their shoulders, but nods.

“I know.” They’ve been over this a thousand times. He was an idiot. He’s desperately trying not to be. 

“No hospitals this time though, eh?” Aaron says, and Robert turns so that they’re nose to nose, Aarons eyes blurring till there’s four of them. He looks sincere, eyes reflecting the warm glow from the bonfire, the sparkle of silent fireworks overhead.

“I’ll do my best,” 

“Good, cause I don’t much like the idea of you being in a bed that’s not big enough for me, too,” 

Robert snorts. “Ever the romantic,” 

Aaron closes the gap and presses their lips together, marshmallows forgotten in his right hand as he presses closer, as close as the makeshift bench of upturned plant pots will allow them. It’s a cold night, but the heat is coming off Aaron in waves, and Robert wants to bury himself in it, never come up for air again. _I would have stayed with you_. He meant it – if this was his last moment on this earth, it couldn’t be more perfect. He wants to stay, always, forever, no matter how messed up the two of them might be. 

“Your marshmallow’s on fire,” Liv interrupts from over Robert’s shoulder. She sounds annoyingly smug. 

Aaron practically leaps away, pulling his stick out of the fire only to discover that it’s burnt, too. He watches it splinter and break off with a look of resignation, tossing the rest of it away. Robert’s is faring slightly better, though still blackened beyond being edible. 

“They were the last ones,” Aaron says, kicking the now empty bag. 

Liv plucks the stick from Robert’s hand, biting into the marshmallows with barely concealed delight. “Shame,” she says, mouth full. 

“Oi!” 

“You took your eyes off ‘em, they’re mine now,” she says, like its law. Robert doesn’t have it in him to argue with her, not when she has that mischievous glint in her eyes that looks so much like Aaron that if fills him with warmth. 

He throws an arm around her shoulder and pulls her close, slipping the other one around Aaron’s waist. 

“You’re an idiot,” he tells her, “But I love ya anyway,” 

She frowns up at him, mirror image of her older brother. “You feeling alright?” she says with mock concern, pressing a hand to his forehead, which he shakes away, “You’re being awful nice today,” 

“Maybe I’m just trying to have a good time,” he says, feeling attacked.

“Trying to weird me out so that you’ve got Aaron to yourself, more like,” she mutters, but hugs him back, anyway. He counts it as a small win. 

“Now why would I do that,” he asks, leaning round to press a kiss to Aaron’s forehead. 

She stays, though, despite her lazy insult, and the three of them remain there – their tiny, dysfunctional family – until the last of the embers have burned away.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr at @aptanstjarna or @depressivedingle !


End file.
